By encouraging unending twists, new shows and tons of leaps, Star Plus has becoming one of the most popular channels on Indian Television. Whether it is a tried and tested formula or an entirely new concept, Star Plus' magic seems to work each and every time as the channel holds on to its number one position since the past six years. Adding to the string of new shows from the channel is a brand new show produced by Fox Television Studios, titled Sangam.
After its successful primetime show 'Meri Awaaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni', Fox Television Studios is all set to launch a new daily soap in the new prime time slot of 7 p.m. on Star Plus to be launched on August 20th. Sangam is the story of Ganga, a small town girl, who selflessly rejects every opportunity that comes her way & puts the interests of others before her own aspirations, and emerges heroic. Ganga is an intelligent and ambitious girl who believes in following her dreams and doing the best for her family.
Sangam has roped in a strong cast led by Jennifer Winget who would play role of Ganga. Other big names in this show include Chaitanya Chaudhary and a strong performance from newcomer Shaleen Bhanot who plays the character of Madan.
Deepak Sehgal of Fox quotes, "Star is our sister concern, Star helped Fox to set up studios in India, hence we will collaborate on production for least next 6 months to a year. Unfortunately, today's television has a defined audience. They pretty much themselves decide what they want to see. We have tried out different shows on Star Plus as well as Star One like Remix, Siddhant etc and though we received fantastic reviews for all of them, none fetched the TRP. There is a set audience which watch television day in and day out, probably that is their window to the outer world. The other kind would probably be having dinner somewhere when a show is on."
Talking about Sangam, Deepak says, "Sangam, much as we would like otherwise, offers nothing radically different. We have made the locales look different, rather than move them into a palatial building and do everything. So you will see a lot of natural locales. However, eventually, the show will move into a track where the protagonist and the antagonist will have to co exist within the confines of four walls." On asked whether in this glamour splattered world of Indian TV, a simplistic show like Sangam would work, Deepak was quick to comment, "The glamour quotient will be there, with the hero belonging to a rich family. I guess that is expected, if we want to add to the value of the shows. The audience has come to expect a certain masala, and the rich background is a given. The Balaji Telefilms have turned into an art, an if we have to compete, we have to compete on the same level.The story will have a lot to offer, and hopefully, that, at the end is what will hook the audience onto it."
Jennifer Winget who plays the Protagonist of the show, Ganga is very excited about her role. According to her, "The story revolves around Ganga, a young girl with lots of dreams in mind and ambitions to achieve in life. Along with her dream, is coupled her father's vision and her father's expectation towards her. It is the story of Ganga who moves forward in life to fulfill her dreams, faces hurdles, overcomes problems and the manner in which she struggles to keep the strong bond with her father intact, all thro' her life." When quizzed whether this story will develop into yet another love triangle, Jennifer says, "At a certain point, the character played by Chaitanya enters Ganga's life and this is her love-angle. Shaleen plays a negative character"…
This is what the 'Agni' of Tellydom, Shaleen Bhanot has to say about his role, "Madan is a complete black character. There is no goodness in him. He is an awesome character, will prove to be a stand-out, never attempted in TV so far. The way the character sketch has been done is mindblowing. Madan is the surprise package of the show." On asked whether Madan will look similar to Agni, Shaleen quotes, "Agni was a grey character and he had reasons for being bad. Here, Madan is all the more Bad. U never know what the guy will do next. The way his scenes have been conceived is beautiful. Nowhere will Madan resemble Agni. His look, body movement, talk, accent are all different from Agni. He will be wearing kurtas, mufflers, with whole lot of jewellery and will sport a 'Theeka' on his forehead."
On asked whether Madan will still retain the Shaleen Bhanot personified 'Kaajal', Shaleen bursts out laughing, acclaims "Yes, this is one similarity Madan has to Agni. I never wanted to get away from Kajal, all thanks to you fans of India Forums and all my well wishers. Apart from this, the channel too wanted me to have it. In this serial, I will have Surma instead of Kaajal. It is bit different, but the black part is still there." "Madan is not in love with the protagonist, Ganga. But he wants her just because she is the prettiest girl in town. He does not love her, but wants her at any cost..", Shaleen adds on.
Looks like Star Plus is showing no signs of stopping by catering one hit show after another. It remains to be seen whether Star Plus' and Fox Television Studios' new offering, Sangam, will be able to touch the hearts of its viewers and prove to be another winner for the production house and the channel. Till then, stay tuned for more inside information in the world of tellydom!
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